A wide variety of gaming devices are now available to gamers and to casino operators in computerized form, from slot machines to games that are traditionally played live such as poker and blackjack. These computerized games provide many benefits to the game owner and to the gambler, including greater reliability than can be achieved with a mechanical game or human dealer, more variety, sound, and animation in presentation of a game, and a lower overall cost of production and management.
Computerized video game systems must be designed with many of the same concerns as their mechanical and table game ancestors—they must be fair, they must provide sufficient feedback to the gamer to make the game fun to play, and they must meet a variety of gaming regulations to ensure that both the machine owner and gamer are honest and fairly treated in implementing the game. Further, they must provide a gaming experience that is at least as attractive as the older mechanical gaming machine experience to the gamer, to ensure success in a competitive gaming market.
Many computerized wagering game systems have a variety of sound and graphical elements designed to attract and keep a game player's attention, such as sound effects, music, and animation. These game presentation features are often associated with a particular wagering game theme, such as a fishing theme or a Monopoly (TM Parker Brothers)-themed game.
Audio in wagering game machines such as slot machines has progressed from the early days of simple mechanical bells to sophisticated electronic sound effects and prerecorded music, adding to the richness of the gaming experience. Sound effects augment various game events, such as credit bang-up, reel spin on a slot machine, and winning a jackpot. Further, music is often played during game play to further entertain the game player, while different music is played when no players are currently using the game and the machine is in an attract mode.
But, even the music and sound effects presented in modern systems quickly become familiar to avid game players, and may not suit the tastes of some game players. While such players can simply move on to a different wagering game machine, it is desirable to keep wagering game players entertained and playing as long as possible, and wanting to come back to play again.
It is therefore desired to provide the game player with audio that is not repetitive and fatiguing, and that suits the game player's individual tastes.